WATCH: UP’s Aerial Solution to Vegetation Management
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
A clear right of way provides greater visibility and improves safety for train crews, as well as drivers and pedestrians traversing the tracks at designated crossings. On the right, a bladed saw suspended below a helicopter trims trackside tree limbs and brush.
Image and caption courtesy of Union Pacific
LUFKIN, Texas – Union Pacific uses helicopters to manage vegetation across its network.
In Railway Age’s August 2024 issue, RT&S Editor-in-Chief David Lester wrote about the ways in which Union Pacific inspects and anticipates track defects as part of its plan to maintain infrastructure.
On August 23rd, UP’s Inside Track posted its vegetation management program strategy – helicopters. Recently, the Class I has invested more in this program’s helicopter cutting operations. According to the post, “helicopters’ suspended saws trim hard-to-reach tree limbs in dense or rugged terrain, outside of city limits.”
Manager – Track Program Vegetation, Tanya Buck said, “Helicopter removal is an efficient and safe method of controlling brush in areas a hyrail brushcutter could not reach. . . By proactively minimizing the risk of fallen trees at high elevations, we can restore service more quickly following hurricanes and other natural disasters.”
Helicopters are not the only solution in this program. UP says it utilizes hyrail trucks and other equipment, both on and off the rail, to spray weeds and cut brush. All of this is to minimize the risk of fires and tripping hazards as well as “increase visibility at rail crossings and signals.” Throughout 2024, UP reports it has sprayed more than 16,500 miles of track and cut brush along 1,100+ miles of track.
Senior Manager – Vegetation, Patrick Milles said, “So far this year, we’ve treated vegetation surrounding more than 19,000 crossings across the system. . . Our vegetation program successfully reduces the risk of wildfires, controls noxious weeds and promotes growth of low-growing vegetation species that help control erosion and allow for the free flow of rainwater.”
Below is a YouTube video from Union Pacific’s channel, showing a quick clip of the Class I addressing vegetation management via helicopters:
